And this is no ordinary midterm election. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested. Not only will the balance of power in both houses of Congress be decided, but many state legislatures and governorships are also up for grabs.

Yet many people will still sit out the midterm elections. According to the Pew Research Center, America has some of the lowest voter turnout in the developing world. For every 10 Americans, only six turn out to vote – even though recent elections in the U.S. have been decided by just hundreds of votes. [link]

That is why the swing voter in November will not be a Republican or a Democrat. It will be a non-voter who chooses to vote in 2018. At NCJW/Essex we have launched a Get Out the Vote campaign to combat the two biggest reasons people have for not voting.

I am not registered.

To register to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen, have resided at your present address for at least 30 days, and be at least 17 years of age. New this year: You can now register to vote at 17, with the understanding that you cannot actually vote until you turn 18. Know a high school senior or a recent graduate? Make sure he or she is registered! If you have recently changed your name or address, you must also re-register. Check to see if you are registered or get a registration form at www.elections.nj.gov. Voter Registrations must be postmarked by October 16, 2018.

I will be away — or won’t be able to get to the polls — on November 6.

The good news is that anyone can now Vote By Mail. You no longer need a reason. Registered voters who don’t want to, or can’t, go to the polls must apply for a Vote by Mail ballot. The application is available online at www.elections.nj.gov, at your County Clerk’s office or here at NCJW/Essex. Your application for a Vote By Mail Ballot must arrive in your County Clerk’s office by October 30, 2018, or you can apply in person before 3 p.m. on November 5, 2018.

Our grassroots campaign relies on our volunteers to help flip non-voters to voters. For a letter that you can email to friends and family with important voter information, please contact Stephanie Abrahams, sabrahams@ncjwessex.org or call (973) 488-0054.